A rendering of the Hilton Homewood Suites hotel, proposed for development on Route 130 at the site of a former motorcycle dealership. Mercer Management

HAMILTON — A Hilton Homewood Suites hotel proposed for Route 130 was described at last night’s zoning board meeting as an upscale property with large, self-catered rooms that will attract travelers and tourists from up and down the east coast.

“This is a dynamic hotel,” property owner Chris Vernon said. “It’s hip, it looks really cool, and people are going to drive by it and said, ‘Wow, that looks great. They really nailed it.’”

The group proposing the hotel has applied for several zoning variances that would allow numerous billboards or signs advertising the facility and a smaller retail site on the property, such as a Starbucks or other coffee shop, representatives said.

Zoning board members noted that, with 117 rooms, the facility would not meet the definition of a hotel in the township’s ordinances. Some said they were also concerned about the size of one of the proposed billboards and its proximity to Interstate 195, saying those aspects of the proposal do not conform to township standards.

But several board members also expressed support for the project, saying the plan appears to fit the surrounding area well.

The board was still discussing the application at press time last night and had not said which changes they would require from the developers. Final zoning approval would allow construction to begin on the project.

The 66,206-square-foot, four-story hotel would be built just off the entrance ramp to I-195, a mile from the Hilton Garden Inn, which is also owned by Vernon’s company, Mercer Management. It would target visitors intending to stay for more than four days and would include amenities such as an indoor pool, lounge, library and a basketball court, according to an engineer and other professionals working for the developer.

The building would also have a high-ceilinged lobby, a conference room where 30 to 40 people could attend business meetings and an outdoor seating area and fire pit, they said.

The hotel would serve a continental breakfast, offer lasagna or other small meals for dinner on weekdays, and have a store selling microwavable food and snacks, but it would not include a restaurant. Instead, the suites would be equipped with full-sized refrigerators and stoves in an effort to draw longer-term guests.

“We really see the opportunity for a new hotel, one that caters to an upscale customer but a different kind of client than the Hilton Garden,” said Derek Sylvester, vice president of Gulph Creek Hotels, which would operate the facility. “The new Amazon warehouse and the completion of the new Turnpike entrances there have opened up the area for business. We think the opportunity for business here is strong.”

The online retailer Amazon announced in January that will open a 1-million-square-foot warehouse nearby in Robbinsville in March 2014, creating 1,400 jobs.

Sylvester said good sites for hotels are hard to find but that Hamilton was an ideal location because of its access to important towns and roadways.

“Hamilton’s a very attractive area for people to stay,” he said. “It’s close to retail, it’s close to restaurants. It’s close to Princeton, it’s close to Trenton. People can go east or west. There’s a confluence of roadways. It’s a very desirable location.”

He said that the hotel would serve as a partner to the Hilton Garden and the two facilities would be cross-managed. While the existing hotel serves customers looking for a short stay or a large space for wedding receptions, the Hilton Suites would target people who are in town for several weeks, such as traveling business people or workers who have come to the area for jobs on new construction projects.